Many of us have been thrust into the wonderful world online meetings. If you're new to hosting online meetings, you might be eating into your time by helping people to connect to the audio, putting up with someone's barking dog, or explaining how to do screen sharing, among other things. The pros … [Read more...] about Tips for hosting online meetings
5 mistakes to avoid during online meetings
Like many of you, I've ditched in-person meetings for virtual ones during the coronavirus crisis. In my case, it's just more of what I've been doing all along. For others I've been meeting with, it's all brand new. Here are five mistakes I've seen (and made) during online meetings. Some seem like … [Read more...] about 5 mistakes to avoid during online meetings
Weird room setup kills Presenter View
During a presentation, the Presenter View can be a real help! You get to read your notes and see what slides are coming up next, while the audience sees only the slides. Usually, if you're presenting off a laptop or desktop computer, you can make the Presenter View visible on your screen while … [Read more...] about Weird room setup kills Presenter View
How to make amazingly useful PPT handouts
PowerPoint handouts help people to remember a presentation. But too often, presenters distribute handouts that are totally useless. Here's how not to do that. You might have seen handouts that look like this: How useless is this handout? If the presenter is lazy and exports every slide, even … [Read more...] about How to make amazingly useful PPT handouts
Who’s the real star of your presentation?
Giving a presentation in front of an audience, especially a large one, can be a real rush! There you are, center stage, performing and being the center of attention. But should you take advantage of the spotlight by talking about yourself and your achievements? The audience is the … [Read more...] about Who’s the real star of your presentation?
How to quiet an audience so you can start talking
You're about to speak to a large group of people and you're excited! You take the stage, get behind the mic, and wait for a hush to settle over the crowd. But what if they keep on talking and don't notice you're about to begin your speech? Here are three ways you can get people to stop … [Read more...] about How to quiet an audience so you can start talking
Features vs. Benefits: What’s the difference and why should you care?
Last week, I was teaching a workshop about how to write effectively for presentations. In one of the exercises, I showed the group a slide that they had created about the benefits to potential clients of choosing their company. Trouble was, it was actually a features list, which isn't nearly as … [Read more...] about Features vs. Benefits: What’s the difference and why should you care?
How to create looping animations in PowerPoint
PowerPoint has some incredible animation tools. Incredibly frustrating, that is. One thing that's eluded PowerPoint animators for years has been a way to loop an animation sequence on a slide. Friends, I'm happy to announce that the wait is over. I've learned of a way to cheat the system! The … [Read more...] about How to create looping animations in PowerPoint